Thursday, October 2, 2008

An Indian man and his English wife who overstayed their tourist visas have lost a decade-long battle to stay in the United States.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement now plans to deport Jayantibhai and Indiraben Desai, who own a home in Norwalk and have two U.S.-born sons who are now adults.

ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice says the couple exhausted their appeals and courts have determined they have no legal basis to be in the United States.

The couple say they went to immigration officials in 1997, believing they would be granted legal residency. Last week, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it didn't have jurisdiction to review the immigration judge's decision ordering them to leave the country.